Il Italian streetwear brand GCDS, an acronym for “God Can't Destroy Streetwear”, unveiled its Spring 2021 collection with an innovative and fascinating virtual fashion show that involved avatars.
The virtual show GCDS created a fantasy set with sci-fi renderings of real models. Aweng Chuol, Raisa Flowers, Jazzelle Zanaughtti and Ottawa Kwami professionals. And since virtual fashion means (and will increasingly mean) real business, the catwalk also hosted animated celebrity appearances among the public such as Dua Lipa e Anwar Hadid.
Escape from reality
An exercise that fashion has always pursued in some way. The ability to read trends and guide them by the hand is a prerogative of both stylists and futurologists, on closer inspection. All aspects of a show in real time have therefore been recreated, adding a fantastic mood. Because working on models in flesh and blood by sculpting real sculptures (often really extravagant) is a bit the same thing. The virtual show is even freer from physical limits, and GCDS takes the opportunity to reimagine it in a utopian scenario.
Giuliano Calza, creative director of the company, admits to think of science fiction cartoons as a form of escape from the global pandemic. Calza has indeed grasped all the similarities between fashion and fantasy, and has decided that "the show must go on".
Virtual fashion show: a multiform happening
GCDS partnered with the Los Angeles engineering firm Emblematic to create a digital platform that could host both the virtual fashion show and entertainment spaces. A games room, social spaces for avatars and access to the backstage. After the virtual catwalk, viewers had the opportunity to interact with the GCDS team, ask questions and participate in private short film screenings, or play with avatars.
All the garments (actually for sale) have been created in 3D with great attention to detail. Seams, fabrics, colors and logos: in the fantastic chaos, they were the most realistic thing of all. Even the hairstyle and makeup have been entrusted to industry experts. The “outsourced” task fell to the catwalk specialists Erin parsons e Syd Hayes, who designed the looks of the avatar models of this first virtual fashion show.
By the way: take a look.
First and last show? I doubt it. A format born to stay
GCDS is a pioneer of this virtual catwalk and fashion show format, to satisfy a “young” clientele that is increasingly expert in languages and digital interfaces. With the fashion industry innovating new presentation methods, we could see a lot more virtual fashion shows in place of GCDS. And the advent of virtual reality will "democratize" even such events, usually reserved (in their physical version) for journalists and VIPs.
More: in the world of virtual reality customers could also become models at the same time. They could parade with the clothes they intend to buy, testing their yield and interacting with other customers. They could decide to buy the physical suit, or (paying less) just its virtual version, perhaps to wear in some new social space to cross with the VR viewers over their eyes.
